When Tennessee opened the season with questions about its defensive line, there was no obvious reason to expect this kind of production. Five games in, though, Rodney Garner’s group has turned into the heartbeat of the defense.
The Volunteers are leading the nation in sacks with 23, and 10 of those have come in the first two conference games. Tennessee and LSU are the only teams that have cleared the 20-sack mark so far, which tells you just how disruptive this front has been.
That pressure has mattered in more than just the box score. Tennessee leaned on the defensive line to stay afloat in both the Auburn and Texas games when the offense was sputtering.
“I think the guys that are really taking pride in that hey, if I do my job, I’m setting my buddy up,” Garner said of his defensive line group today. “If I don’t do my job, look at him on this tape, how I cost them a sack or I cost myself a TFL.
If I had just did my job and not pulled out or not peaked or did something that, hey, man, that this could even be more, I think they are celebrating each other. They’re happy for each other.
They see that they’re all eating. That’s what they want to do.
They all want to eat.”
Marion Dye and Xavier Gilliam are tied for the team lead with four sacks apiece. Gilliam has also piled up 8.5 tackles for loss, enough to get him noticed on the NFL radar in the first half of the season. As a team, Tennessee has 42 tackles for loss, or 8.4 per game, which ranks eighth nationally.
For a room that lost so much over the last two seasons, that kind of production is no small thing. Garner has gotten real growth from Dye, Nathan Robinson, Carson Gentle, Tyree Weathersby and others, helping cover for the veterans Tennessee no longer has.
There’s also a familiar feel to this team. Tennessee has a real 2024 feel to it, and while the Volunteers still need more from the quarterback spot, the defense appears to be in good hands with Jim Knowles.
In Other News...
Matt Rhule Just Gave Nebraska Fans An Unexpected Hollywood Moment
Matt Rhule turned up in the Season 1 finale of HBOs Lanterns with a role tied to the Cornhuskers, giving Nebraska fans an unexpected pop-culture moment to go along with the usual football talk. It is the kind of cameo that feels right at home in a sport where coaches are already larger-than-life figures, and Rhules appearance now puts him in a long line of college football personalities who have crossed over into film and television.
Mack Brown, Mike Leach, Ed Orgeron, Nick Saban, Barry Switzer, Jim Harbaugh and Brian Kelly have all found their way onto screens in one form or another, from voice work to full-on acting parts. Rhules latest surprise adds another entry to that odd little coaching rsum, and it also raises the sort of question fans always seem ready to ask: who in the sport might be next to trade the sideline for a scene? [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee's Run Game Already Has Arkansas Feeling The Pressure
Tennessees ground game keeps looking like the engine that can tilt a Saturday before the passing attack even needs to take center stage. After the Volunteers ran for 237 yards in the win over Auburn, with DeSean Bishop accounting for 220 of them and all three touchdowns, the production only reinforced how dangerous Josh Heupels offense becomes when it starts leaning on the run.
That kind of success has been hard for opponents to ignore, especially with Tennessee carrying a 37-2 record under Heupel when it clears 200 rushing yards and having done so in all four of its wins this season. Arkansas defensive coordinator Ron Roberts already acknowledged the challenge ahead, and the bigger question now is whether the Razorbacks can handle Tennessees physical style well enough to slow the game down before it gets away from them. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee May Have Finally Found Its Chaz Coleman Answer
Tennessee has been working to patch a hole on the edge since Chaz Coleman moved on, and a recent official visit gave the staff a fresh name to watch. Hayden Lowe, a former Miami EDGE now at Long Beach City College, spent time in Knoxville and came away impressed by the game-day atmosphere, giving Josh Heupel and Rodner Garner another opportunity to sell a role that could matter quickly on defense.
The Volunteers are not alone in the chase, with Alabama among the programs pressing for Lowe as his recruitment moves toward the finish line. Even so, Tennessee appears to have put itself in the mix for a player who fits an immediate need, and Lowe is expected to sort through his options and make a decision within the next 2 to 3 weeks. [Read more 🡒]